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DUNEDIN — For the first time in more than three weeks, the Blue Jay clubhouse went silent Monday, the first scheduled off day of the spring.

“I think everybody needs a day off at this point,” said manager John Farrell.

Since this quiet day lands just about mid-point between the Feb. 12 reporting date for pitchers and catchers and the last game of the spring on March 30, it’s probably time to take a step back and make some assessments.

At The Half

Three Stars

1. Brett Lawrie

Everybody knew that Lawrie intended to win a job at this camp. The shock is that he’s actually doing it. From the first minute he arrived, Lawrie has been a beast, impressing with his focus, his passion, his athleticism and his talent. Convert to third base? No problem. Hit major-league pitching? No problem. Act and play like a 10-year veteran? No problem.

“Forget the performance, the hits, the defensive plays,” said GM Alex Anthopoulos. “For me, it’s how he has carried himself. I’m proud to have him as part of this organization. He’s been embraced in our clubhouse.

“His drive, his desire to win, being a gamer is what we want this organization to be about. He’s been a total pro.”

If — and this is a big if — he keeps this up, it’s hard to imagine him anywhere but in Toronto in April, regardless of his arbitration clock.

2. Brandon Morrow

Morrow’s first full season as a starter was an eye-opener and everything he’s done so far this spring indicates he’s ready to take his talent and knowledge to the next level. His conversion from thrower to pitcher, while not complete, is impressive. In five spring innings (including an intersquad appearance) he has yet to walk a man and has fanned seven, changing speeds effectively and occasionally bringing that 97-98 m.p.h. heat, just to show it’s there.

3. Ricky Romero

Romero unveiled his full arsenal Sunday against the Pirates and it wasn’t a fair fight. Coupled with the extreme movement on his fastball and curve, Romero’s changeup can be almost unhittable. If he cuts down on his walks, he’ll be among an elite group of American League pitchers.

Biggest Surprise

1. Lawrie’s Defence

Lawrie’s offensive potential was well known but defence was a question mark. So far, not only has he made the routine plays at third, but he has made several very difficult plays as well — charging slow rollers and throwing across his body, backhanding balls and setting his body for the long throw, starting double plays.

2. Jesse Litsch

Maybe surprise isn’t the right word, but almost two years removed from elbow surgery and seven months after hip surgery, Litsch is back pitching the way he did in 2008. Maybe even better than he did back then, because his cutter is more advanced and so is his pitching IQ. So far, he has given up nothing in his attempt to lay claim to one of the open rotation spots.

Persons of Interest

1. Eric Thames

Injury issues resolved in 2010, Thames hit 27 HR with an OPS of .896 in double-A and so far in camp his spring OPS is a whopping 1.171. He leads the team in total bases and if the Jay outfield wasn’t already cluttered with players under contract, he might be a candidate. That will happen soon.

2. Anthony Gose

If you could separate offence and defence, Gose might already be in the majors. He can play defence with any centre fielder in the game, though he still needs to be able to match his physical skills with situational intelligence. On offence he’s a work in progress but is expected to round into a line-drive hitter with gap power to go with 60-stolen-base speed.

3. Adeiny Hechavarria

Like Gose, Hechavarria already has big-league defensive skills but needs to hone his offensive tools. Coaches and scouts say he’s already improved his contact at the plate. He has incredible range at shortstop to go with a strong accurate arm.

4. Zach Stewart

At the end of last season, Stewart and Kyle Drabek were A and 1A at New Hampshire. While Drabek is expected to win a rotation spot this spring, Stewart is probably headed to Las Vegas, but we would advise him to rent by the week, not by the month, because he might not be there very long. He has all the pitches, plus the makeup to be in the bigs.

5. Travis d’Arnaud

Just turned 22, d’Arnaud will probably be taking his all-tools act to New Hampshire this season. He is probably the most well-rounded catcher in the system, athletic with great instincts and a strong throwing arm. He also projects as a plus offensive player with above-average speed for a catcher.

The Rotation Battle

There are four primary candidates for the two remaining rotation spots behind Romero, Morrow and Brett Cecil. With the possible exception of Jesse Litsch who has allowed two hits, no walks or runs and struck out five in five innings over two starts, none of the candidates has a stranglehold.

The heavy lifting in that competition is yet to come as pitchers stretch out to five innings and beyond over the next couple of weeks. Drabek, Jo-Jo Reyes and Marc Rzepczynski are the other main candidates, but Stewart could elbow his way into the fray before it’s over.

The manager and general manager maintain that Drabek is not a lock for one of the spots, but must win the job. It says here that it would require Drabek to make a complete mess this spring for him not to be in the rotation come opening day. He already has 430 minor-league innings under his belt and did nothing to deter management with his three starts in the big leagues last season. Everything says his time is now. He pitched two innings last Saturday and, after some initial anxiousness, dominated the Tiger hitters.

The Bullpen Battle

Some very good relief pitchers are going to be disappointed when the final cuts are made. With as many as five of the seven bullpen jobs all but assigned to Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, Jason Frasor and Shawn Camp, there remain four or five top candidates for the remaining two spots.

All those previous five names are righthanders so, it would make sense that lefty David Purcey is likely a frontrunner for one of the remaining spots, leaving Casey Janssen, Carlos Villanueva, Wil Ledezma, Rommie Lewis, Sean Henn, Mike Hinckley, Josh Roenicke and the currently injured Jesse Carlson banging heads for one job, barring potential trades.

Francisco, Rauch and Dotel have been nursing their arms along slowly, which makes sense in that they are generally going to be one-inning pitchers. Over the next few weeks it will be important for them to be able to work on consecutive days.

Lind’s Conversion

To this point Adam Lind appears to have adapted to his new role as an everyday first baseman without a lot of difficulty. He’s been getting the lion’s share of innings at first and appears to be more and more comfortable there. There will, no doubt, be some bumps on this road but, more and more the issue will shift away from Lind’s defence to the more important question: Will he hit like a first baseman?

Arencibia’s Baptism

John Farrell has made it clear that J.P. Arencibia’s spring is to be about his position as catcher and learning how to handle this pitching staff. Arencibia has embraced that challenge, though it’s probably too early to tell how successful he will be. His calling card has always been his offence but, to this point, Arencibia has one single and seven strikeouts in 18 at-bats. No one is terribly concerned about that just yet because of his track record.

The Dusty Road Back

Whenever Dustin McGowan’s name comes up, there are a dozen caveats mentioned before anyone even dares think about the big ‘What if?’ It’s as if the entire camp is holding its collective breath as they root quietly for a comeback.

To this point, McGowan is working his way gently back into position to appear in games. He has been working off a mound since before camp opened without a hint of trouble after nearly three years of injury setbacks and false starts.

McGowan is currently a week or 10 days away from appearing in a minor-league game. If that goes well, he may yet pitch in some Grapefruit League games before the end of camp. Where it all leads is not even up for discussion right now but he still possesses textbook mechanics, some nasty stuff and a world of potential.

The Manager

It’s a bit early to get an accurate read on John Farrell, rookie manager, but the signs are all good. This is a smart, eloquent communicator, totally engaged in learning everything he needs to know about every person in the organization. He talks about prospects from one end of the farm system to the other as if he knows them all personally. He certainly knows all their strengths, their weaknesses and their histories because he’s done exhaustive homework.

Farrell has a first-rate staff and he lets them all do their jobs, staying in the loop himself, but not looking over anyone’s shoulder. He has expressed a desire to have a more aggressive style of offence and that’s been evident at times in the early spring games, employing the hit and run, the occasional bunt and generally pressuring defences with the speed that is available.